Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Aug;93(4):279-86.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2613.2012.00824.x.

Intraepithelial lymphocytes, goblet cells and VIP-IR submucosal neurons of jejunum rats infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Débora M G Sant'Ana  1 , Marcelo B Góis, Jacqueline N Zanoni, Aristeu V da Silva, Cleverton J T da Silva, Eduardo J A Araújo
Affiliations

Intraepithelial lymphocytes, goblet cells and VIP-IR submucosal neurons of jejunum rats infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Débora M G Sant'Ana et al. Int J Exp Pathol. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) crosses the intestinal barrier in oral infections and can lead to changes in different cell types, including the neurons located there. In the gastrointestinal system, the autonomous nervous system component that regulate blood flow and mucous secretion is the submucosal plexus. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of T. gondii infection on intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), goblet cells and submucosal neurons that are immunoreactive to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP-IR) of rat jejunum. Twenty male rats distributed as a control group (CG) and an infected group (IG), which received a suspension with 500 parasite oocysts (strain ME-49, genotype II) orally, were assessed. Routine histological sections were used to quantify IELs and to detect mucins secreted by goblet cells. Whole mounts including the submucosal layer were examined using immunofluorescence to detect the VIP neurotransmitter. Quantitative alterations in IELs were not observed. However, the reduction (P < 0.05) in the number of goblet cells that produce neutral mucins (PAS+) and sulphomucins (AB pH 1.0) and the maintenance of sialomucin-secreting cells (AB pH 2.5) resulting in a more fluid mucous were observed. Concerning the VIP-IR submucosal neurons, an increase in fluorescence on IG animals was observed. There was a reduction (P < 0.05) in the number of VIP-IR submucosal neurons and atrophy of their cell bodies in IG rats. Infection with T. gondii caused alterations in the chemical composition of the intestinal mucous and reduction in the neuron number and atrophy of the remaining neurons in this cell subpopulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An increase in the fluorescence intensity of the cell body of VIP-IR submucosal neurons of the IG rats was observed. Photomicrograph obtained by confocal microscopy of immunoreactivity to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP-IR) submucosal neurons of the jejunum of rats of CG (a) and IG (b) 200×. Bar = 20 μm. IG, infected group; CG, control group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of cell body area classes of submucosal neurons shown by immunofluorescence technique for immunoreactive to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP-IR) neurons of the jejunum of rats in CG and in IG. There was no significant difference between the columns of the same class (P > 0.05). IG, infected group; CG, control group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alves EPB, Alves AMP, Pereira RV, Miranda-Neto MH, Zanoni JN. Immunohistochemical study of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) enteric neurons in diabetic rats supplemented with L-glutamine. Nutr. Neurosci. 2010;13:42–51. - PubMed
    1. Anitha M, Chandrasekharan B, Salgado JR, et al. Glial derived neurotrophic factos modulates enteric neuronal survival and proliferation through neuropeptide Y. Gastroenterology. 2006;131:1164–1178. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ayres M, Ayres M, Jr, Ayres DL, Santos AA. 2007. BioEstat: Aplicações Estatísticas nas Áreas das Ciências Biológicas e MédicasSociedade Civil Mamirauá: Belém, MCT-CNPq.
    1. Balemba OB, Grondahl ML, Mbassa GK, et al. The organization of the enteric nervous system in the submucosal and mucous layers of the small intestine of the pig studied by VIP and neurofilament protein immunohistochemistry. J. Anat. 1998;192:257–267. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Balemba OB, Semuguruka WD, Hay-Schmidt A, Johansen MV, Dantzer V. Vasoactive intestinal peptide and substance P-like immunoreactivitier in the enteric nervous system of the pig correlate with the severity of pathological changes induced by Schistosoma japonicum. Int. J. Parasitol. 2001;31:1503–1514. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms